After starting the season 2-0 with two road wins, the San Francisco 49ers are getting ready to host the Cardinals for their first home game of the campaign on Sunday. With back-to-back home games against Arizona and Jacksonville, the 49ers have an excellent opportunity to go 4-0 to begin the season. Even though Mac Jones led them to victory in Week 2, San Francisco desperately needs their star QB Brock Purdy to return from injury to have a chance at that dream start.
Fortunately for 49ers fans, all signs are pointing towards Purdy returning sooner rather than later. The Athletic's 49ers reporter Matt Barrows observed in Thursday's practice that the signal-caller was "doing slightly more than he did yesterday". He followed that up with a quote from Purdy, indicating that he is day-to-day and that he's "happy with the progress [he's] been making with [his] foot and toe." The 25-year-old quarterback reportedly said that he wants to see how he feels at game time.
Brock Purdy Is Progressing Well Ahead of 49ers' Week 3 Matchup
If Purdy is, in fact, day-to-day and there is a chance he returns on Sunday, this would put him way ahead of schedule. The initial reporting of Purdy's injury was a turf toe variant, and it was deemed to be a two-to-five week ailment. The fact that he started practicing ten days after he suffered the injury in Week 1 against the Seahawks is a great sign for his earlier-than-anticipated return. In addition, Purdy revealed that the shoulder injury he suffered in the same game was no longer a concern, per Yahoo! Sports' Andy Backstrom.
While it's positive that Purdy put two days of practice in a row, it's important to remember that he was a limited participant in both days. Friday will certainly give us a better idea of Purdy's status ahead of Week 3, but we will likely know for certain whether he will suit up against the division rivals.
If he were to miss the game, Mac Jones would get his second consecutive start following his three-touchdown, zero-interception game against the Saints. The 2-0 Cardinals will obviously be a tougher challenge than New Orleans, but the 49ers are getting close to being fully healthy to give themselves a great chance. Other than WR Jauan Jennings and OL Spencer Burford, everyone participated in Thursday's practice, including Christian McCaffrey, Nick Bosa, and Trent Williams, who had skipped Wednesday for a scheduled rest day.